This jacket elminates all the elemnts and obsticles that mother nature can deliver. I trusted the other reviews and ordered a size smaller and it is incredible. I wear it for as long as I can without a liner because it retains your heat quite nicely. The jacket is very versitle but the only thing that bothers me is the zipper by the chin. Getting the zipper away from your chin is worth the inconvience of having the jacket be around your chin when it's not zipped up.

This is the most amazing hardshell I have ever bought (As it should be for the price tag) Let me start by saying over the years I have moved from North Face to all Arcteryx. I have numerous layering pieces including the Gamma SV softshell. All I was missing was a good hard shell. After hours of online research on this, the Theta AR and North Face Free Thinker I made the decision. Only 1 problem the sizing.. SIZE DOWN!! I am a large in almost everything.Owning the Gamma SV which is more fitted (I have this in a xl) I was guessing an XL for this coat. I am 5'11 185 bigger build (wish it was muscle) and it was a trash bag. A medium fits me perfectly.(Like all Arcteryx does) Sleeves are perfect and length hits below my belt.Plenty of room underneath for anything I need for layers.

i skied the entire year in this jacket and it performed epically. For starters it is super light (partly due to no insulation). I actually like this because sometimes it is comfortable to ski with a T-shirt under it and other with a down pullover. I am a skinny 6 feet and the medium fits me great. It is absolutely water proof. i used it on the Smith River in 5 days of rain/snow and at the end of the trip i was the only one out of 14 that was still dry. So it is definatly up to any snow storm. The layout of it is also great. the pockets are placed in the right positions and they are big. The side zip is superb! i would like to hug whom ever thought of that. A chaffed chin sucks! i wouldn't exchange this jacket for any other jacket on the market. You get all your moneys worth on this one.

As I am sure this jacket serves the purpose of many, it was just to thin
for my purposes. Great materials, features and construction, just not for me.

I bought my first Arc'teryx piece about 5 years ago as the Gamma SV softshell. Anyways that coat got me hooked, I have since bought nothing but Arc'teryx items when needed. I bought the Sidewinder AR in slate last winter and absolutely love it. It is near perfect for any weather as I have worn it while skiing to mid-summer rainy days. I'll layer a t-shirt with my Maverick AR Fleece, Gamma SV and the Sidewinder while skiing and I'm as warm as can be. I don't think I'll ever find a better coat unless Arc'teryx makes it. Also I see no difference from the AR to the SV other then the hood is stowable with the AR and it weights about 1 ounce more, if you can feel that ounce then you're a freak of nature. So buy the coat, we all know you want to.

I have only skied twice in this jacket and it has already shown itself to be the best jacket. First time it was raining and everyone else in the group was wet and cold. Not me. The water was still beading off. The second time the temperature was quite warm, but the huge pit vents kept me cool and dry while others had to go back to their cars to remove a layer. The power skirt also works, not there just for show. I'm 5'9", 170lb and the medium fit best. As for looks well, I got many compliments from several people about the jacket. It is quite an athletic fitted jacket. Note that the fireweed color is more like a fire truck red. Believe the hype, Arcteryx jackets are as good as people say.

I absolutely love this jacket! My only word of caution is that the jacket fits large, which prompted me to order it a size smaller than I usually do with similar products. The jacket arrived today and it fits perfect!

This jacket blocks out all wind, all snow and water. I went snowboarding for about 8 hours in this jacket and it was dry the whole day, it is impenetrable. best investment, this jacket will last for a long time no doubt. if your lookin for a awesome jacket that you could use for backcountry snowboarding/skiing or just a day on the mountain, this is it! It's a light hardshell so it is not heavy and depending on the weather you may or may not have to layer up. arcteryx lives up to their name and price.

I purchased this jacket in Dec 07' for my yearly ski trip to Vail. I have never bought any other ski jacket except The North Face! So long The North Face, this is the best jacket I have ever purchased. With an Arc'teryx Maverick AR as a mid-layer, I skied in this jacket 4 days in -14F to -20F temps and never got cold! This jacket is a bit pricey, but for the look and the quality that you get it is worth the money. The sizing fits a lot better than the new The North Face cut.

I love this jacket. It has the GoreTex Pro shell and the only difference from the more expensive SV model is that, aside from the appearance, it has a different fabric this is not as durable in the non critical areas. It is just as waterproof and is still very durable. I have spent a good amount of time boarding through the backcountry and the trees and have had no problem. Either from getting wet or tearing the jacket. Very nice jacket.